Shelby Township Police confiscate K-2 in raids

Five persons are in custody and face possible drug charges after Shelby Township police confiscated synthetic and other illegal drugs during early morning raids at a gas station and smoke shop.

A Citgo gas station and the Woodstock Tobacco Shop near 21 Mile Road and Van Dyke in Shelby Township were the businesses raided. The location was the scene of a protest last June because of its sale of the synthetic drug K-2, then a legal substance. K-2 has since been banned statewide.

The raids culminated a six-month investigation by Shelby Township Police, said township police Chief Roland Woelkers. The chief said the township fielded dozens of complaints about the establishments selling the substances after they were banned.

“This whole thing has been stewing since July,” Woelkers said.

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According to police, the raids took place about 6 a.m. at the Citgo station and neighboring Woodstock Tobacco Shop. A home and a storage unit in Sterling Heights and a house in Oakland County’s West Bloomfield also were targeted. Police executed search warrants at all the locations.

Police confiscated an unspecified amount of synthetic drugs and small amounts of other illegal substances, Woelkers said. He did not reveal the nature of the other drugs. Officers also confiscated an unspecified amount of cash.

The five individuals in police custody face possible drug charges, the chief said. Investigators expect to take their findings to Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith, possibly as early as Thursday, for arrest warrants. Woelkers declined to release the names of those in custody pending the issuance of formal warrants.

K-2, Spice and other synthetic drugs drew attention and ire earlier this year after a series of highly publicized violent crimes ostensibly committed by individuals after they had ingested the substances.

In Shelby Township, the Citgo gas station was the scene last June 2 of a protest by some 200 persons upset because the business sold the synthetic products.

Shelby Township Supervisor Richard Stathakis credited the “grass-roots” initiative for leading to the eventual banning of synthetic drugs in Shelby Township, Macomb County and eventually across Michigan.

Stathakis also praised law enforcement for continuing to monitor the possible sale of the now-illegal products.

Through the fine efforts of our police department, combined with cooperation from state and federal law enforcement agencies and with the very strong support of our residents and Board of Trustees, we’re seeing some real successes in this ugly battle against K-2 and other synthetic drugs,” he said.